Parents abused kids, lived in filthy 'underground caves': DA
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Insets: Valerie and Melvin Cordell (New Mexico State Police). Background: The site near 225 Opatah Road in Luna County, N.M., identified as the 35-acre property belonging to Valerie and Melvin Cordell (Google Maps).

A mother from New Mexico faced arraignment this week on charges of child abuse and allegations of sexually assaulting her 16-year-old daughter and her siblings along with her husband. Authorities claim the family lived outdoors year-round on a 35-acre parcel featuring “underground caves” and were subjected to “squalid conditions,” according to prosecutors.

Deming resident Valerie Cordell, 41, pleaded not guilty during her arraignment in Luna County on Monday, as shown on online court documents. She faces charges of 16 counts of child abuse, one count of criminal sexual penetration, and one count of conspiring to commit child abuse after her arrest in February.

Valerie Cordell and her husband, Melvin Cordell, 50, allegedly abused their daughter together and forced the teen to engage in sexual acts with her siblings in front of other adults, according to prosecutors.

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“During the 4-month investigation, agents learned that the family of 9 was living on a 35-acre site, located in a semirural portion of Luna County, near Deming,” the 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said in a press release announcing charges.

“Investigating officers described it as an inhumane, squalid scene,” the DA’s office alleged. “A dilapidated trailer, several unlivable camping trailers, broken-down vehicles, boxes of rotting food, bags of trash, along with buckets located all around the property filled with human feces.”

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